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Just when you think the Xbox first-person shooter battlefield is so riddled with bodies that it couldn't possibly sustain another soldier, along comes something new. Urban Chaos: Riot Response is a relatively unique FPS that glorifies our country's everyday heroes almost as much as it glorifies headshots and Molotov cocktail-spewing thugs.

T-Minus T-Zero

The story of Urban Chaos is ripped from the headlines -- complete with bogus news broadcasts. With gang warfare at all-time levels and terrorism running rampant, the mayor of a metropolis gives the nod to a law enforcement supergroup. Called T-Zero, these shield-sporting studs have a zero-tolerance policy towards crime. Judging from its name, the mayor is also a wee bit dyslexic.

The startup agency is struggling for public approval, as citizens are unhappy with its hefty tab on taxpayers. As T-Zero member Nick Mason, you get the privilege of going to the bleakest of areas to provide backup for firefighters, medics, and regular police officers. Nick is essentially Robocop without the shiny suit.

Thankfully, Nick has access to one of the best accoutrements in first-person shooters: the riot shield. This sucker can absorb almost any blast, while giving you a literal window to the world of criminal activity. It becomes scuffed and shot up the more you use it, and will most certainly develop a few blood stains when used to bash enemies about the face. The riot shield is refreshing like the firehoses in the Watts riots.

The Few, The Proud

The rest of your law-enforcement accoutrements are standard-issue, though there are times when non-lethal force is smarter than popping a gangster's head like a teenager's zit. For those occasions, pull out the stun gun and watch the baddies jump. Other weapons include assault rifles, shotguns, and projectile cleavers.

It's not only your own butt that you have to protect; often, fellow employees of the state will be in your care. Sometimes it's a medic you must escort to a downed civilian. Other times, you have a fire fighter tagging along as you traverse a blazing apartment building. Each temporary teammate has a list of orders you can dish out, which keeps them from being totally useless. While escort missions have become passé in video games, the ones in Urban Chaos are actually

Multiplayer gives you a chance to ditch the badge and be a member of the hockey-masked Burners gang. Weren't these guys also featured in Rockstar's Manhunt? Play cops and robbers on several different maps in online matches. It's obviously a fuller experience over Xbox Live, but multiplayer adds to the game's entertainment value on either platform.

Gritty Graphics

Urban Chaos may have some innovative gameplay, but its production values aren't nearly as revolutionary. The generic graphics look as though they've been patchworked from other urban games. The gore level is satisfyingly high, however, and the riot shield effects are a nice touch; but it's just a little too cheesy for its own good. The game's sound effects pop off as they should, but voiceovers are repeated too much. How many times do you have to hear how a thug is going to burn your whole family? Yawn.

Doing A Service

Urban Chaos: Riot Response features enough uniqueness to warrant a look from first-person shooter fans. It's not as flashy as Black or Farcry: Instincts, but the patriotic vibe and real-life arsenal make up for the graphical inadequacies. It's also got a plethora of unlockables -- from more arcade-style side missions to upgraded equipment.

While it doesn't push itself to the front of the FPS food chain, Urban Chaos has likeable, blue-collar charm that will find an audience among gamers who hang American flags from their car antennas or hug random law enforcement officers just to show they care. Take Homeland Security into your own hands: Play Urban Chaos: Riot Response.

Article By: Justin Leeper
video Produced By: Paul Bonanno